Imagine having lived a life as a stray only to be taken into a shelter that gives you care and comfort while you wait for someone to see you, adopt you, and give you a lifetime of love. That's what happened to Ginger, a 7-year-old Staffordshire terrier with a loving heart. But for Ginger, the wait for a forever home has stretched to 1,456 days – four years – and counting.
Four years is a long time to wait for a home. Thankfully for Ginger, the staff at Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills shelter in Paris, Maine, has gone above and beyond to care for her until the right person walks through the doors. Not surprisingly, this adorable dog has won the hearts of everyone on staff. Recently, the staff took a picture of Ginger with a sign around her neck indicating how long she had been there and a plea, "Please adopt me." They posted the photo to their Facebook page, and the post went viral.
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One reason Ginger has been hard to place is that she has some special needs and conditions. She sometimes has issues around cats and other dogs, especially when it comes to food. Resource guarding means that Ginger would do best in a home where there are no young children. The shelter stated that it needs "Someone who knows this fantastic breed, older couple, single person, or someone who has an empty couch space needing to be filled!? Please share, you never know who this may reach! Ginger thanks you all!!!"
Soon after the post went viral, applications began pouring in for Ginger. The shelter was happily overwhelmed with the offers and began to review them carefully. Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills has specific requirements for adoption including a meet-and-greet with Ginger, a home check by shelter staff, a reference check and a verification no other animals live in the potential adopter's home.
Hopes were quite high as the staff went through each application for Ginger that came in. Everyone hoped that the right match for Ginger was somewhere in that pile.
As of the end of December 2018, Ginger is still waiting for her forever home. Despite the thousands of calls, emails and applications that the shelter has received, the right match has not been found. The shelter staff shared that "out of all of those messages we had maybe 2 people who fit the criteria for Ginger. We reached out and sadly they never contacted us back."
Until her future owner shows up, Ginger will continue to be treated like a princess by her friends at the shelter. Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills assures Ginger's supporters that "Ginger remains in our care, she is happy, she goes out on weekly shopping trips and lunch dates with Kelly. She wants for nothing, and we all love her like she was our own. We have no doubt that someday she will find her forever home, but we will not just place her with anyone. An application must be filled out, a home check must be done, no other pets, or children. Ginger has some issues and we will not set her up to fail. We thank you all for supporting us and the work we do here."
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Are you interested in giving Ginger a permanent, loving home? Do you know someone who would be a good candidate for adopting this beautiful dog? If so, contact Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills or check out Ginger's adoption page for more information. Help Ginger find her forever home.